which show the natural wickedness of man. He is by nature only evil. "Every imagination of the thought of his heart is only evil continually." Gen. vi. 5.
[Your heavenly Father.] There is a notable distinction between the Greek words so translated and those rendered " Father which art in heaven," in the Lord's prayer. Here it signifies " Father from heaven." There it is '* Father in heaven." — Alford remarks that " when we address God, He is our Father in heaven, — when He answers us. He is our Father from heaven. In the former case we go up to Him and His abode. In the latter case He comes down to us."
I cannot leave the above passage without expressing my own dissent from the allegorical signification which the Fathers and other commentators have thought fit to place on many of its expressions. I cannot hold, with Augustine, that the three loaves represent the Trinity, man's food and life, or faith, hope, and charity, — nor yet that the " fish " represents faith, or the "egg" hope. — I cannot hold, with Bede, that the guest newly arrived is the spirit of man, weary and hungry, — the host, natural man unable to satisfy his soul, — and the appeal to the friend, application to God tor help. — I cannot hold with Vitringa, that the guest is the heathen world, the host who receives him the disciples of Jesus, who must receive bread of life from God for the relief of the heathen, and solicit it with all perseverance. — 1 cannot hold with others, that the children in bed are the angels, or the saints who are already in glory. Several of these interpretations will be found in Trench on Parables.
I leave all such explanations of Scripture to those who can receive them. I for one cannot. — To some minds they may appear wise, clever, and beautiful. To me they appear fanciful, dangerous, destitute of sobriety, and unwarrantable additions to the mind of Christ. — Most parables are intended to convey one great lesson. Even those in which almost every part has a meaning, such as the ten virgins and the prodigal son, require to be handled with great caution. In the parable of the Friend at midnight I am imable to see any warrant for searching out far-fetched allegorical meanings. We have no right to en- quire what the words of Scripture can be twisted, and strained, and wrested into meaning. We have only to consider what was the original scope or intention of the Holy Ghost when the words were written, and by that to abide. The protest of Stella, the Spanish commentator, on this subject in his commentary on this very place, is well worthy of remark.
It is fair to observe, that the broad promise at the end of the passage, " Your heavenly Father shall give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him," is differently explained by different theo- logians.— Some would interpret it as a general promise, graciously
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